Wheel stretcher with patient retaining means



Jan. 19, 1954 R, w, STUART 2,666,217

WHEEL STRETCHER WITH PATIENT RETAINING MEANS Filed Aug. 21, 1950 Fig.

40 Robert W- Stuart INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 19, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WHEEL STRETCHER WITH PATIENT RETAINING MEANS 1 Claim.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in wheel stretchers, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a wheel stretcher with means for retaining the patient thereon, these means consisting of a pair of side rails which are pivotally mounted at opposite longitudinal edges of the wheel structure platform and project upwardly when in operative position.

An important feature of the invention resides in the attachment of the side rails or retaining bars to the platform, this being so arranged that the side rails or retaining bars may be swung downwardly when the use thereof is not desired, or when a patient is being placed on or removed from the stretcher.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction, in its efiicient operation, and in its adaptability for use on wheel stretchers of different sizes and types.

With the above more important objects and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a wheel stretcher equipped with the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 22 in Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational View, taken in a direction of the arrow 3 in Figure 2, but showing some of the elements as partially broken away so as to reveal their construction.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the general reference character I designates a conventional wheel stretcher including a platform I2 comprising a marginal frame which includes channel shaped side rails l4, the invention residing in the provision of patient retaining means comprising a pair of horizontally elongated, U-shaped rails or retaining bars I6 which are pivotally connected to therespective side rails l4 as will be presently described.

The retaining bars 16 are preferably tubular in construction and are provided at the ends thereof with counterbores 26 to accommodate enlarged heads 22 of shanks or pairs of extension pieces 24. The heads 22 of these extension pieces are secured in the counterbores 20 by transversely extending pins 26, and it is to be noted that the extension pieces 24 are provided with slots as indicated at 28 in Figure 2.

Pairs of spaced looks or brackets 30 are secured by suitable screws 32 to the side rails I4 of the platform l2, and the brackets in each pair are provided with opposed sockets 34 to accommodate a horizontal shaft or pivot pin 36 extending through the aforementioned slot 28 of one of the retaining bar extension pieces 24.

The extension pieces 24 have fiat surfaces 38 and rounded ends 40, and when the retaining bars l6 are in their vertical, operative positions as shown in Figure 1, the pivot pins 36 are disposed in upper ends of the slots 28 and the flat surfaces 38 of the extension pieces 24 abut the side rails 14, whereby the retaining bars 16 are prevented from swinging downwardly.

However, when the use of the retaining bars is not desired, they are pulled upwardly so that the pins 36 are disposed in the lower ends of the slots 28, whereby the retaining bars may be swung outwardly and downwardly to an inoperative position, as indicated by the arrow 42 in Figure 2. Needless to say, the downward swinging of the retaining bars is facilitated by the rounded ends 40 of the extensions 24 which do not interfere with the side rails I l when the pivot pins 36 are disposed in the lower ends of the slots 28.

It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will be clearly apparent from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, further description thereof at this point is deemed unnecessary.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A guard unit for attachment to wheeled stretchers of the type including a platform comprising a marginal channel frame, said unit including pairs of spaced blocks having opposed sockets therein, means for securing said pairs of blocks at spaced points on the frame, shafts connecting the pairs of blocks and having their end portions engaged in the sockets, said shafts adapted to parallel the frame in spaced relation thereto, a substantially U-shaped tubular guard rail, and headed shanks fixed in the end portions of said rail and projecting therefrom and having longitudinal slots therein accommodating 'the shafts for pivotally and slidably mounting the guard rail on the blocks, said shanks being adapted for side abutting engagement with the frame for retention, thereby for releas-ably securing the guard rail against swinging movement in raised. operative position on the platform.

ROBERT W. STUART.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 276,574 Foster May '1, 1883 803,106 King et a1 Oct. 31, 1905 1,443,468 Goss et al Jan. 30, 1923 1,602,226 Gully Oct. 5, 1926 1,702,010 Klever Feb. 12, 1929 2,016,598 Field Oct. 8, 1935 2,360,453 Sullivan et al Oct. 1'7, 1944 

